Massive damage numbers rose above the head of the Titan Stoneape, as surging white flames engulfed its entire form, instantly evaporating the splattered blood into thin air.
The forceful shockwave snapped nearby trees at their trunks, scattering a blizzard of wood chips and soil across the sky.
Many who witnessed this scene were struck with awe; despite having seen such displays numerous times, the staggering damage inflicted by John still left everyone breathless.
The Titan Stoneape, in agony, clutched its eyes, letting out a pain-filled roar.
The acrid smell of charred flesh could be sensed from a great distance.
In a desperate last effort, it closed its eyes, attempting to shield itself with its Stone Armor from John's attack.
Yet, the Blazing Light Spear still managed to injure its eyes.
John wouldn't miss such an opportunity.
His eyes gleamed with a ghostly blue light, his body enveloped in a magic that flared like blue flames, becoming wildly tumultuous.
"Mana Burn!"
"Mana Rampage!"
The aura around him surged dramatically, the sheer force of his raging magic blasting the muddy ground beneath him into the air.
John lifted his staff, which sparked with purple lightning.
Terrifying thunder converged into a singular point in his hand, containing the potential to annihilate everything in its path.
Pointing towards the Titan Stoneape, the white speck of light expanded instantaneously.
"Roar of Thunder!"
Purple thunder leapt and intertwined, morphing into a devastating column of lightning that obliterated everything before it, striking directly at the Titan Stoneape.
Sensing the imminent danger, the creature's other eye snapped open, thick stone doors materializing in front of it in a futile attempt to block John's ferocious assault.
Roar of Thunder was unstoppable.
The stone doors were shattered in an instant, and the Titan Stoneape's torso was submerged in the thunderous onslaught.
"-259129!"
A single skill had reduced the Titan Stoneape's HP by one-sixth.
Both the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest and those from the outside world fell into a momentary silence.
Then, the crowd erupted into fervent cheers.
A male spectator suddenly stood up, his face flushed with excitement, shouting at the top of his lungs, "John is incredible!"
Meanwhile, a female spectator, with eyes ablaze and fists waving energetically, cried out, "Go John! If you win, I'll marry you!"
Seraphina, initially overwhelmed with emotions, felt a chill run through her upon hearing this.
Theodore couldn't help but show a wry smile, sensing that his daughter, whom he had raised for over a decade, was deeply smitten.
The high-ranking officials of the academy in the stadium were all smiles, feeling that their Star Cluster Academy had struck gold this time.
Just John alone was enough to turn the other academies green with envy.
Vice Principal Geoffrey couldn't contain his laughter, saying, "After today, I'd like to see anyone dare say that Star Cluster Academy hasn't had any geniuses these past years."
Principal Sophia, petite in stature, watched John on the screen, her gaze calm and distant, lost in thought.
Back in the Enchanted Forest, the battle was far from over.
As the light from the thunder faded, the Titan Stoneape's Stone Armor lay in ruins, its body charred and a pitiful sight to behold.
Yet, John did not relent.
He could sense that the Titan Stoneape's aura had not weakened much, if anything, it had grown stronger.
The Titan Stoneape roared, its bellows causing the nearby mountains and trees to tremble violently.
The rage in its remaining eye was blood-red, filled with pain and brutality.
The intense pain drove the Titan Stoneape into a frenzied state, its gaze fixed deadly on John.
In the next instant, a terrifying earth-based energy erupted from the Titan Stoneape, a dull yellow magic swiftly enveloping a radius of nearly a kilometer.
Thick Ground Spikes burst forth, forming a dense Rock Forest within hundreds of meters, while the sky resounded with deafening roars as colossal meteorites, trailing long tails of flame and unstoppable momentum, plummeted towards John's location.
John took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly flaring with red light, a blood-colored longsword appearing in his hands without notice.
With a powerful leap, he charged towards the Titan Stoneape like an arrow released from its bow, a move that widened the eyes of all onlookers.
Was John actually seeking close combat with the Titan Stoneape?
A spectator exclaimed in astonishment, "Is this guy out of his mind?! The beast is in a berserk state; just a bit more and it could have been killed from a distance. Why is he charging in?!"
Others, who found John displeasing, sneered, "A magus daring to engage in close combat with the boss? I truly can't tell if he's confident or just arrogant!"
Some echoed in agreement, "He must be a madman. When do you see a magus engaging in close combat with a boss? With his defense and HP, he wouldn't withstand a single hit from the boss."
Another retorted, "Why do you care so much about what he does? If you're so capable, why don't you go solo a dungeon boss?" Yet, someone scoffed, "We're not madmen. Why would we solo a boss?"
The audience quickly became embroiled in heated discussions, and the stadium was filled with a buzz of activity.
However, the majority of spectators were skeptical of John's approach, considering it overly presumptuous.
Only those who truly understood John knew the rationale behind his actions.
John was not one to recklessly seek danger.
His decision to engage in close combat was calculated.
He had observed that the berserk Titan Stoneape was unleashing wide-area skill attacks.
Staying at a distance would not afford John the opportunity to effectively counter the Titan Stoneape; hence, he chose to close in.
Given the Titan Stoneape's colossal size, if it were to use its skills, it would likely injure itself, thus it was left with no choice but to engage John using its cumbersome body.
Indeed, John's assessment was correct.
As he approached the Titan Stoneape, it indeed halted its skill casting.
The Titan Stoneape, with a look of brutal rage, fixed its gaze on John, the source of its pain.
Without a word, a massive palm, with a whistling sound of wind, swung towards John, intent on crushing him into pulp.
However, given the Titan Stoneape's size, its attack was inherently sluggish.
With the speed John had gained from using Blood Rage, he easily dodged.
Wielding the Bloodthirsty Blade, John moved as swiftly as lightning, slashing at the Titan Stoneape's charred arm in a reverse grip.
The combination of formidable strength and a sharp weapon allowed John to inflict a terrifying wound on the Titan Stoneape's arm.
Blood gushed out like a stream.
"-51105!"
With just a single strike, John inflicted nearly 50000 damage!
This was partly due to John's enhanced strength and partly because the Bloodthirsty Blade, which continuously consumed life essence, had acquired terrifying attributes.
[Equipment]: Bloodthirsty Blade (Damaged)
[Type]: Weapon
[Level]: lv25
[Tier]: Gold-tier/Divine Artifact
[Quality]: Damaged
[Attributes]: Strength+616, Spirit+451, Attack Speed+28%, Bleeding+28%
[Requirements]: Crimson Demon, Blood Apostle, Crimson Ritual…
[Skill One]: Blood Devourer (Passive)
[Skill Two]: Blood Rage (Active)
[Skill Three]: Blood Puppet (Active)
…
The base attributes of the Bloodthirsty Blade far exceeded those of equipment of the same level, hinting at the divine artifact's immense potential.
John could feel that it wouldn't be long before the Bloodthirsty Blade would advance to become a platinum-tier weapon, at which point its attributes would become even more formidable.
Dodging the Titan Stoneape's massive palm, John's Bloodthirsty Blade ruthlessly struck the opponent's ankle.
The sharp blade sliced through the Titan Stoneape's flesh like cutting through tofu, spilling a large amount of blood.
"-50899!"
John's strike severed the Titan Stoneape's tendon in one clean cut.
It howled in pain and lost its balance, stumbling and falling to the ground with a thunderous crash.
The Titan Stoneape's body hit the earth like a falling mountain, emitting a loud boom that made the ground tremble, unable to rise for a long time.
John wouldn't miss such an opportunity.
The Eclipse Staff appeared in his hand, and wielding both the staff and the longsword, his skills and attacks seamlessly connected, striking the Titan Stoneape and causing massive amounts of damage.
"-49871!"
"-201858!"
"-52910!"
"-233949!"
…
John moved like a phantom, evading the Titan Stoneape's desperate attacks while relentlessly striking it.
The Titan Stoneape's HP visibly began to plummet.
50%,
40%,
30%,
...
To the astonishment of all who watched, the Titan Stoneape's HP swiftly fell to 15%.
Under John's relentless assault, it lost any ability to fight back.
Finally, John's eyes glowed with a bloody light.
"Boom!"
The Titan Stoneape's body exploded into a shower of blood.
"-324818!"
John unleashed a Hemoclastic Spell, annihilating the Titan Stoneape, leaving no trace behind.
[You have killed a lv40 "Titan Stoneape (Boss)", gaining 870000 Exp!]
["Blood Absorption" activated, you have gained 52 stamina points!]
…
Simultaneously, the glow of leveling up shone upon John.
[You have leveled up to lv30, gaining 60 free attribute points!]
[You have gained new skills, please check them in time!]
[Your talent "Divine Favor Tome" activated, your skills have been upgraded to MAX!]
[You will not gain any Exp until you break through the level limit!]